


Odds and Ends

by Dancing_Bean



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-04-15 11:17:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4604688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancing_Bean/pseuds/Dancing_Bean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>BlackHill bits and pieces that don't fit anywhere else. Based on prompts and quick ideas. No order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stuck

**Author's Note:**

> From tumblr prompt for littlesolo:  
> 'I need an out take from CATWS where Natasha helps her girlfriend get the helmet off when it gets stuck during the rescue…'
> 
> It was my pleasure :)

Steve stiffened and Natasha blinked in surprise as one guard plunged their tazer baton at the other, following it up with an impressive kick to the head. The second guard slumped, out cold as the attacking one moved to pull off their helmet. There was a moments struggle, followed by a string of multilingual curses.  
“Natasha” The muffled voice was familiar, and the assassin relaxed, a shit-eating grin spreading across her face.  
“Is the mighty commander stuck?”  
“Yes, the mighty commander is stuck. Now unstick me.”  
Natasha hummed, pretending to consider it.  
“Steve? Stranger?” Maria asked hopefully.  
Steve held up his hands, wisely staying out of it, while Sam just looked confused.  
Maria sighed and banged her helmeted head back against the wall of the van in frustration. “There’s a world that needs saving out there. Do you think we can get on with it?”  
“Make it worth my while Hill” Natasha purred.  
Maria groaned as Steve blushed a furious red. “Seriously? We are trapped in a HYDRA van, you are bleeding out, and I am stuck in the most uncomfortable helmet invented by man.”  
“Always take the opportunities that are handed to you” Natasha smirked.  
“Fine.” Maria growled, “You damn well know I will make it worth your while, but only after you have saved the world. Now. Get. Me. Out.”  
“Ma'am, yes ma'am” Natasha said, swapping seats with Sam so that she could work the helmet off her girlfriend.  
Maria sighed with relief as it came away, pushing her hair off her face. “That thing was squeezing my brain.”


	2. Next Wednesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place sometime after the Avengers but before CA:TWS

 

“Hill? Hill! Maria, don't you dare close your eyes!” Natasha leaned forwards urgently on the cold floor of the quinjet, oblivious to the pain in her knees.

Maria's eyes shot open, but whether it was in response to her pleas or because a medic had just clamped his hand firmly over the spurting wound in her leg Natasha wasn't sure. She grabbed a hand and felt a tiny sliver of relief as Maria gripped back even as her face became paler.

“No no” Natasha said, softer now. “No. Stay with us, Hill. Stay with me.”

“Not going anywhere” Maria breathed, even as her eyes fluttered shut again.

“No! C'mon Maria, look at me.” She reached over to brush Maria's cheek, careful to stay out of the way of the frantic medical team as they administered drugs and did their best to stem the bleeding. When that got no response she pinched the webbing between Maria's finger and thumb.

Blue eyes shot open again, confused. “Why're you mad?”

Natasha had to choke back a slightly hysterical laugh. “I've got plans Hill. You're ruining them.”

“Sorry” Maria murmured, trying and failing to lift their entwined hands to Natasha's face. “What plans?”

“Well, next Wednesday I am going to cook you dinner.”

“Lucky me” Maria did her best to smile, head listing slightly to the side.

Natasha gently cupped her face, supporting her so that their eyes met. “Then I am going to sit you down on the balcony and tell you just how amazing you are, and how I wake up every day thankful for you.” Tenderly she rubbed her thumb over Maria's cheekbone. Her voice was steady despite the faint tremor in her hands. “You will give me that look, the one that means you can't decide if I'm being daft because I'm an ex KGB assassin or because I'm me.” The chaos surrounding them had faded away as Natasha focussed all of her attention on Maria. “Then I will hold your hand, just like this, and I will ask you to marry me.”

Maria's face was almost colourless now, lips tinged with blue and breathing shallow. Her gaze was fixed on Natasha. “And then?” Her voice was almost nothing.

“You tell me, Masha” Natasha said, brushing a kiss over her knuckles, fighting to hold back tears. “You tell me.”

Maria managed one last squeeze of her fingers before her grip slackened. As her eyes drifted shut she whispered “yes...”

 

 

*

 

 

Natasha was sick of this room. This white, sterile, characterless room. She was sick of the medical smell, sick of the bland artwork on one wall, sick of the terrible plastic chair she had spent so many hours in.

_"If she is going to wake up she has to do it in her own time"_

Steve had tried to make her leave for a while today, saying that she needed to get outside, eat some proper food.

“No. It's Wednesday” she said, refusing to budge.

He had raised his eyebrows, but hadn't pushed any further.

 

“It's Wednesday Masha” she murmured to the woman lying in front of her. Maria was positioned on her side, short dark hair spiked up in an epic bedhead. With a sigh Natasha ran her fingers through it, trying to tame it down. When that failed she stood restlessly, pacing around until she came to rest at the window. “We have plans” she said, crossing her arms tightly across her chest and leaning her forehead against the cold glass. She felt despair bubbling up inside and gritted her teeth, tamping it firmly back down.

“You owe me dinner”

She spun around, half convinced this was her subconscious playing tricks with her desires (again) and met Maria's drowsy blue eyes. Two steps and she was by her side, reaching out to touch her face in amazement.

Maria gave her a lopsided smile. “I did say yes didn't I?” she asked, blinking slowly as though her eyelids were heavy.

“Yeah you did” Natasha grinned, and finally let the tears fall.


	3. I will if you will

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just after the battle of New York

Natasha Romanoff settled in the chair, concentrating on relaxing each muscle in a (probably pointless) attempt to stop them stiffening up. Clint was stretched out on the bed next to her, soundly asleep. After dragging Loki back to SHIELD headquarters, the “Avengers” as Tony insisted on calling them at every opportunity had gone out for food, a comfortable if exhausted silence surrounding them, Clint’s legs a secure weight in her lap. Then they had returned to the base, even Tony (Stark Tower was a little worse for wear) and separated to get some rest. Clint had accepted a room in the medical bay, along with some sedatives, which told her more than anything else how hard he was struggling with the situation. Unable to relax herself she sat watching him, monitoring his breathing and the flicker behind his eyelids.

She was just repositioning herself to take pressure off a particularly uncomfortable bruise on one thigh when the door to the bay opened slightly. Immediately she tensed, then hissed at the protests from her body. Maria Hill stuck her head around the door, concern flickering over her usual impassively professional face at Natasha’s expression. She didn’t come in, but looked Clint over carefully from the doorway, then seemingly satisfied turned back to Natasha. The assassin rose and checked her partner was still breathing deeply before walking slowly and deliberately towards the commander. She grabbed a wrist and tugged the taller woman out into the deserted corridor.

Spinning to face her she ran her eyes over her body, taking in the exhaustion, the cuts and bruises to her face and the tense line of her jaw. In return Maria gave her a searching, assessing look, no doubt picking up the injuries she tried to disguise. From anyone else this would have been unacceptable. From Maria, somehow it was alright. The brunette looked like she was trying to say something, throat working but no words emerging. Eventually with a small choked noise she buried her face in Natasha’s hair. Natasha reached up and ran her fingertips over the agent’s cheek, then pulled her head down and kissed her firmly, twining her hands into dark hair that had escaped the bun, reassuring herself that Maria was here, she was safe.

When they broke apart Maria wrapped her arms firmly around the red head, resting their foreheads together and taking a few steadying breaths. “Saw you being awesome with that staff thing” she murmured.

Natasha stiffened a little. _'l saw you fight aliens. I saw the WSC bomb you. I watched you come close to dying.'_ Unspoken words that hung between them briefly, before she kissed Maria again, gentle now, tenderly trying to express what she couldn’t think how to say while winding her hands tighter around tense shoulders. “I'm thinking of asking Fury if I can keep it” she smiled, ghosting her lips along Maria’s jaw.

Maria huffed with amusement and leaned back a little, eyes sparkling “You were pretty effective with it”. _'You saved the world. You protected us. You are a hero.'_

Natasha ducked, feeling too raw to deal with everything Maria’s eyes were telling her. She closed the distance between them again, resting her head on Maria’s chest and listening to the reassuringly steady thud of her heart. They stood a moment longer, Natasha leaning into the taller woman before Maria dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

“You staying here for now?” Natasha nodded. “Okay. Get some proper rest.” Maria pulled away with a firm look and a reassuring smile before heading off down the corridor.

Natasha carefully entered Clint’s room, glad to see he hadn’t stirred in her absence. She curled back up in the chair, wondering if Maria was going to rest now as well that she had checked up on her.

 

 

“You still here?” Clint's voice was raspy, eyes foggy as he blinked up at her.

Natasha gave him a sidelong glance. “How are you awake?”

“Not sure I am” he grunted, struggling into a slightly more upright position.

Rolling her eyes she picked up a cup and straw, holding it carefully so that he could take a few sips. “Go back to sleep Barton. Nothing happening here.”

“I will if you will” his eyelids were already half closed, but he stubbornly kept focussed on her until she nodded slowly. “Good...”

 

 

Agreeing to sleep was one thing, actually managing to was a whole other matter. After half an hour of pacing restlessly in her quarters Natasha gave up, grabbing a sweatshirt and heading out of the door.

Reaching her destination Natasha efficiently disabled the security lock and slipped inside.

“Tasha?”

“Who else breaks into your room Hill? Should I be worried? Should they?”

Maria huffed gently and shifted over in the bed, rubbing a hand over her face. “You okay?” she asked a little blearily, barely awake. It had been a long few days after all.

“Mmm”

Maria eyed the assassin steadily for a moment, then lifted the covers and tilted her head in invitation. Natasha was almost surprised by her perceptiveness, but then wasn’t. Even half dead with exhaustion after the near destruction of the world as they knew it, Maria knew her. Knew her better than anyone should have to, in Natasha’s opinion. She shed her sweater quickly and slid carefully onto the bed. With a wriggle she settled herself and buried her face in the brunettes shoulder, relaxing into the other woman’s longer form. Maria  wrapped one arm around her, avoiding the most livid bruises and tangled her fingers in red hair. Natasha felt rather than heard the slow sigh as the commander let the last dregs of tension leave her body and settle back towards sleep. With long fingers scraping gently at the back of her neck and the comforting warmth of Maria surrounding her, she finally found herself relaxing as well.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually the first Avengers fic I ever wrote. Found it when I was having a tidy up and thought why not share?


	4. Not my cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-relationship. Natasha needs help.

 

_'Chinese? My place'_

Maria stared at the message for a moment. She could only think of one person who could get hold of the number for her brand new private mobile, and they weren't likely to be inviting her over for chinese. She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. If it was them, this could be serious. If it wasn't, it was going to be embarrassing. But the risk of not turning up was too great.

 

That evening, just as the sun was dropping, Maria knocked on a deceptively flimsy looking apartment door that blended seamlessly with the others around it. There was a brief rattle and it opened to revel Natasha Romanoff. On the plus side she didn't look at all surprised to see Maria there. Confusingly, there was no body in the hallway, no prisoners tied up needing removal and no signs of a fight. In fact the assassin looked relaxed, in an old t-shirt and jeans, feet bare and hair in a loose pony tail.

“Hi?”

“I'm actually impressed you know where I live” Romanoff said, standing aside to allow Maria in.

“Give me some credit” Maria glanced around curiously as she walked in. The walls were bare and the place almost creepily tidy. Honestly, she hadn't expected anything different.

Once they reached the kitchen her attention was immediately drawn to the table. It was the only surface that had anything set out on it and so seemed out of place. There was a towel and – she walked a bit closer – a box of worming tablets for cats. She glanced at Romanoff, surprised. “You've been worming cats?”

“Not yet” The spy said, almost appearing to be nervous now.

Maria looked at Romanoff for a moment and raised her eyebrows. “You can't give your cat a worming tablet?”

The redhead busied herself at the sink “She's not my cat.”

“Really?”

The other woman turned with a slightly sheepish expression. “Last time I did it she glared at me for a week afterwards.”

Maria felt a smile curl involuntarily at the corners of her mouth. “So why not get Barton to do it?”

“She hates him. No idea why.”

“Okaaay… And I was your next choice because?”

“You are good with animals”

Maria frowned. “How did you… You read my file didn't you?”

Romanoff just gave her a non-committal look.

“You are using information gained from spying on your own intelligence agency to find someone willing to force feed your cat a tablet?”

“Not my cat”

Maria grinned, surprised to find herself thinking the other woman's behaviour was adorable. “She is so your cat. And she has the mighty Natasha Romanoff wrapped around her furry little paws” she teased. “Well, I can hardly say no after you have gone to all this effort. Where's the beast?”

Romanoff's shoulders relaxed slightly and she gestured to a closed door. “Bedroom.”

“I'm gonna need some butter” Maria said as she grabbed the towel and carefully opened the door. A slim black cat eyed her from where she was curled in the middle of the bed. “Hello cat.”

“Liho” Natasha called from the kitchen.

“Liho, your mama is a wimp. Did you know that? A big, soft, wimp.” Maria approached slowly but confidently, scooping the unresisting cat up into the towel then efficiently wrapping it around her so that she couldn't move. Returning to the kitchen she settled the cocooned cat on her knee, covered the worming tablet in butter and slipped it in the side of Liho's mouth. She then firmly held her jaws shut and stroked her throat until the cat swallowed convulsively. “There. Easy.” She glanced at Romanoff with a small smirk, and removed the towel.

Natasha actually looked impressed. And relieved. And mildly embarrassed.

“Sorry cat” Maria reached out and tickled her behind the ears. Liho turned her head into the fuss for a minute then jumped down and stalked back to the bedroom, ignoring Natasha completely as she passed. Maria got up with a laugh and went to wash the butter off her hands. “She knows who to blame for that indignity”

“Hmmm. Thank you” Natasha said, voice surprisingly soft.

“No problem.” Maria stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and stood a little awkwardly, not sure if she should leave now.

“So, chinese?” Natasha asked, moving past her to a drawer of take out menus.

Maria smiled. “Yeah. That would be nice.”


	5. Five plus One - Clothes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five times Maria undressed Natasha, and one time Natasha returned the favour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was prompted by a comment on tumblr (possibly from Woodface?) I forgot the comment but it sparked ideas

I

Maria boosted herself smoothly out of the water, removing her mouthpiece and air tank with practised ease. Seconds later Romanoff followed, landing on the jetty with an ungainly flop. Maria grinned. It was surprisingly satisfying to find something that the ex-KGB agent wasn't good at – even if that was just scuba diving to check out a recently wrecked vessel belonging to a suspected drug lord. She uncovered the hidden bag of civvies left for them by Coulson then efficiently worked her way out of her wetsuit and into the least garish shirt-and-shorts combination of the two provided.  
Natasha was still struggling, somehow getting her tank straps caught in her flippers. Maria watched for a few enjoyable minutes then, when the redhead levelled a particularly heated glare in her direction, stepped forwards and untangled her. Once she was able to stand upright the small assassin looked helplessly at the wetsuit, then sighed and held her arms out like a child waiting to be undressed. Maria didn’t try to hide the small snort of amusement as she peeled the suit off the other woman. She did manage to hide her blush at undressing Natasha Romanoff, carefully keeping her fingers away from pale skin.  
“You get the pink and orange set” she said, tossing the remaining clothes at her pouting teammate.

 

II

“You're laughing, Hill” Natasha growled, standing uncomfortably in the back of the jet.  
“Me?” Maria said innocently, using scissors to quickly cut away the tattered remains of Natasha's field suit, “What could possibly be amusing about you uncovering a nest of enhanced clothes moths, and then discovering you have an allergy to them? There is nothing funny about the great Black Widow being incapacitated by moths. Nothing at all.” She smirked up at Natasha as she tossed each scrap of clothing into rubber bags to be taken back to base. These bugs would probably make the bio departments month.  
Natasha whined, shifting her weight as she resisted the urge to scratch the rash she was developing. “This is pay back for Guatamala inst it?” She grumbled as Maria moved on to her boots.  
“Nope. The photograph I sent to Clint before rescuing you is payback for Guatamala.”  
The redhead hissed, though whether it was due to the thought of Clint having picture evidence of this or because Maria was peeling a boot away from a particularly nasty area of irritation it wasn't clear.  
Maria let out a small hum of sympathy, then pasted a teasing grin back on her face. “Want a hand with the calamine lotion?”

 

III

  
“What is it with you and water?” Maria muttered, hoisting the unresisting assassin in her arms and jogging back to where she had been waiting with their bags before Natasha had fallen through the ice.  
“'sa conspiracy” Natasha murmured through jaws locking with cold, “'s out to get me”  
“Drama queen” Maria dropped her a little roughly by the bags and pulled out their tiny tent. “Keep moving. Tell me the history of the British Civil War. In French.”  
She hoisted up the tent as fast as she could, keeping half an ear on Natasha's rambling as she did so. Once it was up she piled in their thermal blankets and her dry coat, then grabbed the other woman and quickly stripped her of all her wet clothes. Natasha stood, unresisting, lips blue. Maria swore viciously and inventively, vowing to hunt down the handler who had thought travelling light was more important than a change of clothes and put laxatives in his coffee. She removed her top layers and wrapped Natasha in them, then bundled her into the tent. Following she grabbed the radio, sending a call for urgent extraction before burrowing under the blankets and curling around the smaller woman. Natasha felt like ice, barely even shivering. Maria sprawled her arms and legs over her, trying to cover as much of her shuddering frame as possible.  
After a few minutes Natasha started to shiver in earnest and Maria let out a sigh of relief. The redhead turned, pressing herself into Maria's front.  
“Don't you think you should ask me on a date before tossing me in your tent of sin?”  
Maria snorted, holding her as close as possible. “Next time I will just let the water have you. You can bob around like a little ice cube” she said, deflecting attention from the jump in her heartrate at Natasha's words.  
“Feeling like a pretty big ice cube right now”  
Maria hummed in agreement.

 

IV

“Jesus, Nat” Maria said as she answered the door to her quarters, “What happened?”  
Natasha shrugged. “Fight”  
Maria rolled her eyes “No shit, Sherlock. Why are you here not in medical?”  
Natasha's gaze hardened and she stood mutely, waiting. With a sigh Maria stood aside, ushering her inside. Once she was in the cramped room Natasha relaxed slightly, her posture less stiff but also infinitely more uncomfortable.  
“Okay, what's the damage?”  
Natasha shrugged, breath catching painfully.  
Maria pressed her lips together, suppressing the urge to poke the assassin in her obviously sore ribs.  
Natasha glanced up at her through her eyelashes as if realising she may have gone a step too far. “Ribs. Pelvis. Left shoulder. Wounds to my right leg and arm. No head injury.”  
“And why are you here not in medical?” Maria repeated dryly, grabbing her first aid kit then stepping forwards to help her out of her torn jacket.  
“Because I want to be” Natasha brushed her fingers briefly over Maria's wrist before raising her arms as far as she could.  
“Right” Maria took the invitation and carefully removed the tattered remains of Natasha's blood stained clothing. She was so focussed on examining and cleaning her wounds that she barely registered the fact she had a practically naked Natasha Romanoff in her room. It wasn't until she was done, wrapping the last dressing around a strong thigh, that she realised how close they were.  
“Who needs medical?” Natasha murmured, looking far more comfortable now than she had done before.  
“Normal people” Maria said, standing and tidying the first aid kit away, “sensible people.”  
“Never pretended to be sensible” Natasha said thoughtfully, “Or normal.”  
“Nah, you're okay as you are” Maria headed to her dresser and pulled out an old t-shirt and joggers which she tossed to the other woman.  
Natasha snagged them out of the air. “Yeah?”  
“Yeah” Maria looked at her for a long moment, then took a deep breath, gathering her courage. “So...”

 

V

Natasha laughed as Maria opened the door, shedding her coat and dropping her bag. “That's not how it went”  
“It's how I remember it” Maria grinned, tossing the keys on the side as she passed, “You were like a baby seal, but less graceful.”  
Natasha swatted at her then sat on the sofa. “I am not getting on with these shoes” she grimaced, rubbing at the side of her heels.  
“You didn’t have to dress up this much” Maria said, sweeping her gaze over her dates elegant form.  
“I wanted to” Natasha said simply, then lifted a foot and wiggled it in Maria's direction.  
With a smile the brunette sat down on the coffee table opposite the sofa and took the foot in her lap. She unbuckled the shoe, sliding it carefully away before reaching for the other. She was aware of Natasha watching her as she traced her fingers over the slim ankle, mapping the delicate bones. Once both shoes were off she slid her hands up Natasha's legs, hooking them behind her knees. Meeting the redheads heated eyes she gave a tug, pulling her to the edge of the sofa before leaning in. As she nipped at Natasha's lower lip she ran her hands up under her dress and began to slide off her stocking, tantalisingly slowly. Natasha let out a small whine as strong fingers curled around her thigh and broke away from the kiss.  
“Come on” she hissed, making Maria chuckle deep in her chest.  
Finally lifting the first stocking free Maria bent and kissed her calf, then danced her fingers up the other leg. Natasha watched her, eyes black and breathing speeding up. “What's the hurry, Romanoff?”  
“Evil” Natasha tried to suppress a squirm.  
“Me?” Maria smiled innocently, scraping her nails down a long leg. She removed the second stocking and pulled Natasha upright, spinning her so that her back was pressed to Maria's front. “What a thing to say” She moved red hair to one side and nuzzled under her ear. Slowly, oh so slowly she pulled down the zip of Natasha dress, ghosting a hand over every exposed inch of skin. “I might have to make you take that back.”

 

VI

Maria walked into her apartment still buzzing from the day she had had. That buzz possibly dulled her reflexes slightly but after a second she spun, gun appearing in her hand. Someone else was in her flat. She turned the corner to her living room and her trigger finger tightened automatically before she registered the flash of red hair and familiar figure.  
“One of these days you're going to get shot” she grumbled, setting the safety catch back on the gun and putting it to one side.  
“Bit of uncertainty, its good for you.” Natasha rose and stretched lithely, making Maria swallow convulsively. She walked over, deliberately putting extra sway into her steps when she noticed Maria's expression. “Congratulations” she murmured, lips brushing softly against the taller woman's, sending tingles down Maria's spine.  
“Thank you” Maria managed to get out between the light nips Natasha was now placing along her jaw. “I thought you were in Melbourne?”  
“It's not every day your girlfriend gets promoted to deputy director” Natasha whispered proudly, almost smugly, hot breath in Maria's ear making her clutch tightly at the other woman's hips.  
“I'm not even going to ask how you know that” She tilted her head to one side to give Natasha better access to her neck.  
“Best not to” The redhead said matter-of-factly, pulling away. “Sit”  
Maria raised her eyebrows questioningly, but did as she was bid.  
Natasha ran her hands teasingly up her own shirt and slowly began undoing the buttons. She smirked at Maria's expression changing from one of confusion, to shock, to utter frustration. The other woman's gaze never left her hands as she shrugged out of the shirt, dropped it carelessly to one side and started to shimmy out of her pants. Left only in her underwear Natasha stretched again, drawing a moan from Maria this time, then sauntered over and climbed onto her girlfriends lap. Almost instinctively Maria reached out to steady her, then slid her hands up to the clasp of her bra.  
“Ah ah” Natasha removed Maria's hands, “Not this time” She whispered. She pressed her hands flat against Maria's chest, grinning at the race of her heart, then moved to toy with the buttons. As she flicked each one open she followed their path with her lips, her tongue, her teeth, feeling Maria squirm underneath her. She pressed a hand to the crotch of Maria's slacks, humming with delight at the involuntary buck and hiss Maria let escape, then rose up onto her knees to allow the brunette to wriggle out of them. Settling back down, skin on skin, she rested her forearms on the back of the sofa either side of Maria's head. Maria stared up at her with eyes filled with heat and desire and love. Natasha rolled her hips, watching as Maria's jaw dropped slightly.  
“Who's in charge then?” She murmured, drawing a breathless chuckle from Maria as she repeated the movement.  
“As if I would be stupid enough to answer that”


	6. Accidental Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quick-fic. Tumblr prompt from Woodface (AU where they accidentally meet before either of them has joined SHIELD)

Natasha sipped her tea and glanced around the coffee shop. Again. She had just finished one job – a relatively simple information drop – and was awaiting her next set of instructions. She hated the waiting, it put her on edge and left her twitching. The fact that the shop was crowded due to the appalling weather outside did not help and she was struggling to tune out the chaos surrounding her.

All of a sudden there was a muffled curse and a shock as a body slammed into her stool. Natasha tensed, shifting into full alert as a hand grabbed her elbow and another braced itself on the counter next to her as the unfortunate person managed to steady both themselves and the arm Natasha was holding her tea with. Forcing herself to relax from ‘startled assassin mode’ back to her simple customer persona Natasha glanced up at her accidental attacker.  
“Fuck, I’m sorry” The tall woman who had been pushed into her turned to glare fiercely over her shoulder.  
“Don’t worry” Natasha flashed her a quick smile, “nothing was spilt.”  
The young woman’s face relaxed slightly from her scowl, blue eyes bright in her tanned face “Well that’s something.” Her gaze lingered briefly on Natasha’s face before she coughed a little uncomfortably and removed her hand from Natasha’s elbow. “Sorry” she said again.  
Natasha couldn’t help the smirk that escaped as she waved away the woman’s concern, allowing herself to give her a proper once over. Reading innocent members of the public was a habit that kept her mind occupied and her skills sharp. Plus, this mystery woman was pretty easy on the eyes. Tousled dark hair fell over her forehead, and the shirt she wore under a worn leather jacket revealed that her tan stopped at her collar. Military, Natasha mused, tallying this with the alert posture and quick reflexes, recently returned from a tour. Early twenties. Definitely queer, probably gay. And far more agitated than a simple coffee shop misunderstanding would allow for.  
“God I hate it here” mystery woman muttered, her whole posture tense.  
Natasha took a drink, keeping her expression light and curious. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you come here then? There are lots of coffee shops around.”  
A flash of a grin tugged at the corner of the woman’s mouth and Natasha found herself smiling back without quite being sure why.  
“Chicago. I hate Chicago.” She clarified. Natahsa was having a hard time placing her accent, and so raised her eyebrows, encouraging her to continue. “As far as coffee places go, this one is very good.”  
“Ahhh. Is that the experienced voice of a local then?”  
The woman shrugged one shoulder. “For what it’s worth, yes. You can rest easy in the knowledge that you picked a good place for a hot beverage.”  
“I will sleep well tonight then” Natasha said solemnly, drawing another grin from the woman.  
“Glad to hear it. Speaking of hot beverages, I should get mine. Sorry again.”  
“Are you from Chicago or Canada?” Natasha asked with a smirk, “You can stop apologising now.” She nearly missed the flash of shock in her mystery woman’s eyes, would have missed it if she hadn’t been watching them so closely. Huh. That had been a stab in the dark. Maybe she was losing her touch. That, or this woman was more complicated than she appeared on the surface.  
“Yes Ma'am. Nice to meet you.” Mystery woman gave her a sloppy mock salute and a charming smile before moving off through the crowd.

Natasha watched her until she left, a tall figure striding briskly away from the shop and out of sight.

For the rest of the day she battled the unusual feeling of an opportunity missed.


	7. Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quick-fic from a tumblr prompt from theruledangel (BlackHill anniversary)

Maria walked in to her office and was immediately greeted by the sight of a muffin (topped with a lit candle) and a red headed assassin, both sitting on her desk. The morning greetings from the assassin she was getting used to, the muffin was definitely a new development.  
“What is this?” She asked, indicating the muffin.  
“Anniversary cake” Natasha replied, as though it should be obvious.  
“Anniversary? What anniversary?”  
“Ours”  
“We have an anniversary?”  
“Yes”  
“Of?” Maria felt like she was getting more and more confused as this conversation progressed.  
“The time you first pinned me in a spar.” Natasha was working hard to portray a perfectly calm and reasonable face, but Maria could see a hint of amusement and… something else, buried beneath the surface.  
“What? The time I… What?” She now felt totally bewildered.  
Natasha grinned smugly, obviously enjoying her bemusement. “The time you first pinned me in a spar” she repeated, oh-so-reasonably.  
“I know that doesn't happen often, but I don’t think it merits an anniversary all of it's own” Maria eyed the cake as though it was hiding some deadly secret. Deadly being all too possible.  
Natasha huffed.  
“I mean, I appreciate the cake. Despite the fire hazard it brings. But I would appreciate it even more if you would tell me the real reason it's for.” She walked closer, holding the redheads gaze, noting the slightly uncomfortable shift in her position.  
“I told you why” she said softly.

Maria looked at her for a long moment, thinking back to that spar. It had been tough, hard, fast, one of the first times Natasha had really let herself go since joining SHIELD. The Russian had pinned Maria three times already that session, but had not been aware of just how fast the other Agent could pick things up. On that final bout Maria had gone low rather than high for the first time, sweeping the assassins legs from under her and then using her longer frame to pin the other woman down. She had half expected a violent reaction to this, but after a few attempts at escape Natasha had tapped out, eyes dark and chest heaving from exertion. “Well done” she had murmured, breath ghosting over Maria's ear, making her intimately aware of how close they were. She had stared, distracted, into the smaller woman's eyes for a long moment. Natasha had just stayed there, letting her see, not even blinking until Maria made a move to stand.

And here Natasha was, doing her best in her own insecure, unsure way, to let Maria see her again. Making herself vulnerable again. Trusting her, again.  
As realisation dawned Maria smiled and closed the final steps to where the redhead sat. Reaching out she cupped Natasha's face, rubbing her thumbs lightly over her cheekbones and noting the way her eyes flickered shut before leaning in and capturing soft lips with her own. Natasha brought a hand up to grip her arm and tilted her head to find a better angle, making a small, pleased noise. For a few quiet minutes they enjoyed the gentle brush of lips together and the feeling of rightness it brought. Eventually Maria pulled back slightly, grinning as Natasha tried instinctively to follow her. Slowly the redhead opened her eyes, her expression warm and relaxed.  
“So now we have a better reason for an anniversary cake” Maria breathed, bumping her nose against Natasha's.  
“I'll get a bigger one next year” Natasha replied, tugging on her arm to pull her back in.


	8. You Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quick-fic. Tumblr prompt from Anon who wanted an angsty BlackHill break-up

Natasha made her way down the corridor, doing her best to stifle the panic that had been building since she had returned to New York from her travels post the destruction of SHIELD to find Maria had moved out of her apartment in Stark Tower. It hadn't been hard to locate Maria's new office in the building. To her relief she didn’t meet anyone on the way to the office – it had been months since she had seen anyone following the Project Insight fiasco, but even so she wasn't in the mood for small talk.

She found the right room and entered without knocking. Maria was there, mercifully alone, and looked up, her irritated expression shifting to relief and then wariness.  
“Hi”  
“Hi” Natasha couldn’t help feeling a stab of concern over this lukewarm reception.  
“How are you?” Maria's gaze snapped efficiently over her body as if checking for injuries.  
“I'm fine. You?” Natasha took a couple of steps closer to the desk, taking in the shadows beneath Maria's eyes and the fact that she had lost weight. “You look tired.”  
“No shit” Maria muttered, shutting a folder and tossing it to one side. “So, are you back? Or is this merely a drop in visit?”  
Natasha blinked. “I'm back” She paused, “Why is all your stuff gone?”  
Maria rubbed a hand over her face. “Can we talk about this later?”  
“No” Natasha replied stubbornly.  
Maria sighed “I moved back to my old apartment”  
“Why?”  
“I didn’t want to stay at your place anymore.”  
“It never bothered you before” Natasha took a defensive stance.  
“You hadn't walked out on our life before”  
Natasha blinked, physically reeling back from the hurt in Maria's voice.  
“What? I… I didn’t!”  
“You left” Maria stood and paced to the large window.  
“You think I wanted to? I had to!”  
“Yes, I think you wanted to. It's what you do Natasha. Run.” Maria folded her arms and turned to stare out of the window, her shoulders tense. “You run, and you leave me behind.”  
“I was protecting you!”  
“Bullshit”  
“Bullshit? I was doing my best to keep you safe”  
“I don’t need you to keep me safe. I needed my girlfriend to be there for me!” There was a pause before she continued in a more level tone. “I understand that you felt exposed. I understand that you were vulnerable. But we could have sorted that. The Avengers were never the main focus of the media attacks. Turns out very publicly saving the world does your image some good.” She turned back to face Natasha. “You left me. I had to save as many agents as I could. I had to clear up the mess. I had to answer so many questions from so many agencies. And I had to wonder if you were even alive. I had destroyed SHIELD, killed people, left others in serious danger. And you left me. You left me to deal with everything when I needed you.”  
Natasha swallowed, forcing herself to keep looking at Maria's eyes, filled with pain and simmering anger and a distance that scared her.  
“I thought I was doing the right thing”  
“You did the easy thing” Maria said dismissively, igniting a flare of anger in Natasha.  
“Nothing about this was easy”  
“No? How hard would a post card have been? I had to hear you were okay from Rogers. And that was months after you disappeared.”

Natasha bowed her head, trying to wrap her mind around what was happening. She had the sinking feeling that this time she had fucked up too much and let Maria stew over it for too long. Her normally irritatingly fair girlfriend wasn't listening properly. Although, really, where was she wrong? Natasha had left, had run. Maria was so capable that it was easy to assume she would cope with anything.

“Why have you moved out of the Tower?”  
Maria shrugged. “It felt wrong. I don’t think the others would want me around after this.”  
Natasha threw her hands up in the air in frustration “You are just pushing everyone away! Is that all this is?”  
“No” Maria snapped, “This is me no longer being able to give and give and give and get nothing back. Do you know who was there for me after this whole fuck-up? Stark. The Avengers, SHEILD, my girlfriend, and the only person who thought about how to help was Tony Stark.”  
Natasha flinched as the reality of her actions hit her. “So, this is it? Really?” she asked softly  
Maria nodded once sharply, biting her lip hard as if holding back tears. 

Natasha felt like her world had just come untethered. For so long Maria had been there, a steady presence to come home to. So steady in fact that Natasha had never considered her leaving, never considered that Maria too might need a rock, a home. Never considered that with her, she had had a true home to return to, and now? Now she had a half empty flat and an ache settling in the centre of her chest.

Drawing a deep, slightly unsteady breath she nodded and turned to leave. “I did not mean to abandon you” she said softly.  
“I am glad you are safe. And glad you are back” Maria returned just as quietly.  
Natasha left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. That happened. Anon, I hope it worked for you :P (everyone else - I'm sorry!)  
> Also sorry for any mistakes etc, I really didnt want to reread this one too much.


	9. You Left, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set a few weeks after 'You Left'

Clint stiffened and Bruce raised his eyebrows as Maria strode into the waiting room, her professional persona barely covering her panic. She ignored them, focussing on Steve.  
“How is she?”  
He shrugged. “In surgery. They wouldn't tell us much, none of us are down as her next of kin.”  
“I am” Maria said softly.  
Steve blinked but didn't say anything to make her feel she had to leave. Or stay.  
Maria turned and met Clint's eyes for a long moment. Eventually he nodded slightly and shifted his feet off a spare chair. Maria plopped down, dropping her head into her hands with a shuddering sigh, and they waited.

 

As she regained consciousness Natasha slowly became aware of three things. One, she had really made a mess of herself this time. Two, general hospitals were no where near as comfortable as the SHIELD facilities had been. And three, the former deputy director was curled up in an uncomfortable looking chair, watching her closely.

Natasha licked her lips, trying to clear her throat. Standing swiftly Maria held a cup and straw to her mouth and Natasha greedily sucked the cool water down, staring up at her, bemused. Something was off, but her mind was refusing to work properly.  
“Not too much” Maria said softly, removing the cup.  
Natasha continued to look at her “This is unexpected.” A hint of her natural accent bled into her words.  
“Me? Or that you are in the hospital?”  
“The hospital is not so unexpected” Natasha grimaced ruefully, then raised one hand, aiming for Maria's shoulder. “Are you actually here or am I on opioids?”  
Maria gave her a slightly wobbly smile, grabbing her hand before she could accidently pull out her IV line. “Both. Clint tried to stop them giving you the drugs but they wouldn't listen.” She paused a little uncertainly “Do you want me to leave? The guys are here, they could...”  
“No! No, stay. Unless you want to go…?” Natasha closed her eyes. “Of course you want to leave. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Maria I'm so sorry...”  
“Hey, hey” Maria leant forwards, cupping Natasha's face gently. “I want to stay. I'm staying, Natasha, okay?”  
Natasha sniffed, trying to pull herself together. She concentrated on Maria's fingers brushing through her hair.  
“Why?”  
“Can we talk about this later, when you are not drugged up to the gills?”  
Natasha hummed and squinted her eyes open, trying to focus.  
“Always it is later with you… You left me. I left you. We...left.”  
“Yes”  
“You came here?”  
Maria's mouth twitched, as if she was trying to contain a smile, but her eyes were serious. “Yes”  
“Why?”  
“I love you”  
“I hurt you” Natasha said, trying to drag some sense from her fuzzy mind.  
“Yeah, you were a bit stupid. But I hurt you too, don't take all the credit.”  
“I'm good at stupid” Natasha could feel herself falling back asleep, the soothing rhythm of Maria's fingers speeding the process.  
“You're good at a lot of things” Maria sounded fondly amused now, “Although apparently not at getting out of the way of speeding cars.”

Natasha felt the other woman pull away, heard the scrape of the chair on the floor. “Stay!” She gripped Maria's wrist, her eyes flying open in panic.  
“I will stay as long as you want me. I promise.” Maria sat back down, her chair now close enough that she could lean on the bed, settling so that she could continue to run her fingers through tangled red hair.

Natasha relaxed. Maria kept her promises.


	10. Pick Up

There were always missions for SHIELD that went wrong. This was a fact that not even the most rigorous of training, the most diligent of handlers, even the input of Fury or Hill themselves could change. Sometimes, the bad guys just did not play along. And a mission going wrong often meant (hopefully meant, as the alternative was more names carved in cold memorial stone) an extraction put together in a hurry. It was rare for these rescue efforts to deliver the agents directly to a SHIELD base, usually workers from small airfields or docks would be greeted with the sight of a line of bedraggled, battered people and lots of paperwork. Sometimes SHIELD would arrange a pick up. Sometimes family or friends were sent a coded message and a non-disclosure form and allowed to scoop up their loved ones and ferry them away. Fury approved of both the human touch and the cost savings. Hill disapproved of the security risk.

 

This particular op had gone especially badly: what was supposed to take a week lasted a month and a half, with Strike Team Delta being sent in after just 5 days in an attempt to remedy the situation and get the original agents out. They had succeeded, with all personnel returning mostly intact, but had been off the grid for over a month. The relief in the jet as they finally neared their designated drop off point was palpable.

Blowing a loose strand of hair off her face, Natasha pretended to busy herself repacking her bag. Clint, like so many of the other agents around them, was on the phone not even trying to hide his emotions as he spoke to Laura. Natasha thought she could hear semi-hysterical crying from the other end, and turned away to preserve as much of his privacy as she could. A few moments later he plopped down beside her, running a hand over his face.  
“She's okay”   
Natasha felt a knot in her chest relax and she nodded in acknowledgement.  
“She asked after you”  
“She knows who keeps your ass in one piece” Natasha replied dryly, “Make her a large cup of tea from me when you get home.”  
Clint smiled and stuffed the phone back into his pack.

Natasha knew that if she just hinted at it, she could go to the farm with him and Laura would be genuinely delighted to see her. She knew it, and that knowledge was a small comfort she held deep inside, but she wouldn't do it. He needed to be with his family for now. Maybe in a few weeks she would head out to Iowa and let Laura fuss and feed her. But not now.

Now, she was on her own. She hung back as the other agents and crew hurried to disembark from the jet as quickly as possible. She let the others go through the security before her, managing to leave even after the pilots. She hadn't quite decided how she was going to get to one of her bolt-holes from here, the airstrip was far too small for car hire. 

She was considering hitch-hiking when she noticed a large red car clearly waiting for someone. She was going to keep on walking when she recognised the figure leaning against the drivers door. Deputy Director Maria Hill, in jeans and a leather jacket, holding a tall travel mug and watching her approach. Natasha changed direction and made her way over, curious.

“Hill”  
“Romanoff” Hill held out the mug. “Coffee”  
Natasha took in automatically, mind blank. “Why are you here?”  
“You need a lift” Hill said simply, “get in.”  
Natasha tossed her bag in the back and slid into the seat, eyeing the Deputy carefully. Hill ignored her gaze, manoeuvring the car out of the space skillfully out and away. There was a second mug in the cupholder between them and the vehicle seemed suspiciously clean.  
Hill noticed her taking in their surroundings. “Try not to spill anything. I borrowed the car from the mission pool.”  
Natasha smirked at that, taking a sip of her drink then raising her eyebrows in surprise. “You spiked my coffee?”  
“I spiked your coffee” Hill repeated solemnly.  
Natasha sniffed slightly suspiciously at the other cup. “Did you spike your coffee too?”  
“No, I spiked your second coffee” There was a faint twinkle in the deputy director's eye, easily missed.  
“My second coffee” Natasha breathed happily, losing herself in the fragrant steam curling from the cup.

“So, where would you like to be taken to?”  
“Hm? Oh, wherever is best for you. Thank you.” Natasha cast a quick glance over at the other woman.   
Hill didn't appear to notice, smoothly changing lanes with a glance in the mirrors.  
“Okay, well somewhere with proper showers at least I think. And real clothes.”  
“The industrial soap and jumpsuit not good enough for you, Hill? I'm offended. Unforgivable.” She pretended to roll her eyes saw a flash of white teeth as Hill grinned sharply.  
“Would you forgive me if I said there was fruit in the glove compartment?”  
Natasha stared at her, shocked out of her snarking. “Fruit? Real vitamins? Not vacuum packed rubbish sprinkled on tasteless cack?”  
“Yes, real fruit” There was a humorous lilt to Hill's voice this time, and Natasha fumbled almost frantically with the latch on the glove compartment. She let out a contented hum at the sight of the tupperware box of chopped fruit – there was even a fork taped to the lid.  
“выходи за меня” she mumbled around a mouthful of pineapple.  
“You talking to me or the food?” Hill asked, sounding amused.  
Shit. So Hill spoke Russian better than she had expected. Natasha stuffed some apple in her mouth in lieu of a reply and settled for waving the fork expressively.

That was the first time.

~*~

The second time she needed collecting Natasha was just as surprised to see Maria there at the edge of the airfield, waiting patiently next to an old crown victoria as she had been the first. The deputy director handed over a travel mug of chai tea and a bagel without a word and settled herself in the drivers seat, clearly not expecting any arguments. Natasha folded herself in her seat, shooting the other woman a bemused look.

~*~

The third time Natasha allowed a tiny smile to cross her face at the sight of the tall woman leaning against a white prius as she walked out into the icy wind.  
“Try not to get any crumbs on the seat” Maria warned as Natasha's gaze fell gleefully on the cinnamon twist pastry and hot chocolate on the dashboard.

~*~

The fourth time followed a particularly difficult extraction and Natasha could feel the shadows of the mission following her even as she walked over to the brunette perched cross-legged on the bonnet of an ancient rusted red pick-up truck in the late afternoon heat. She tried to smile, failed and settled for a sort of half shrug. It seemed to do, Maria's sharp gaze mellowing somewhat as she slid off the truck. She tossed Natasha a bottle of iced tea, a pomegranate and toothpick.  
“Should keep you busy”   
Natasha turned the fruit over in her hands, “Not worried about mess?”  
Maria grinned and patted the truck almost fondly “Not this time.”  
Wheedling the small segments out of the pulp was oddly calming, and when Maria dropped her off near her apartment she was covered in sticky juice but far more relaxed than before.

~*~

By the fifth time Natasha no longer waited until last to disembark from whatever mode of transport and gotten them to safety, she no longer took her time working through the checks and security. Heading out in the middle of a group of other agents she had to scan the assorted vehicles gathered there carefully before she spotted Maria – in black biking leathers – in the far corner.  
This time she couldn't hide her smile as she approached, and Maria returned it as she handed over a take-out cup of black coffee and a chocolate bar.  
“Better drink up before we set off” she said matter-of-factly, settling back comfortable against the bike to wait.

~*~

The sixth time she was smiling before they even got off the jet. Clint noticed, jostling her shoulder and giving her a questioning look which she resolutely ignored.   
The rusty-red pick-up was back, Maria slouched against its front bumper in a worn shirt and jeans. Two tall cups perched on the bonnet beside a paper bag. Natasha saw her straighten slightly as she approached, pushing her sunglasses up onto the top of her head as she did so.

“Hi”   
Natasha dumped her bag down in the dust by the car and kept moving, not allowing herself to overthink things, and reached up to press her lips softly to Maria's. “Hi.”   
Maria blinked, then gave her of the rare smiles that lit up her whole face and Natasha felt a warmth swell in her chest. Feeling slightly daring and oddly nervous she stepped closer so that her body brushed against Maria's and leant in to kiss her again. There was a moment of perfection, when all that mattered was her and Maria, with the hot metal of the truck under her hand, Maria's fingers running through her tangled hair and the smell of coffee wafting over them.  
“I have banana muffins” Maria murmured in her ear when they broke apart, trailing one hand down Natasha's arm to rest lightly on her hip.  
Natasha laughed, suddenly carefree and elated. “I love banana muffins.”


	11. Chat up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a tumblr prompt - black hill cheesy chat up line
> 
> This is the first non-academic thing I have written in a good few weeks, so its short and a bit rusty, but hope you enjoy anyway

“Did you sit in sugar?”  
Maria almost choked on her drink at the familiar, teasing voice, “Excuse me?” She turned and was met by a dishevelled Natasha Romanoff, wearing a battered leather jacket with snow dusting her shoulders.  
“'Cause you've got a sweet ass,” the redhead finished with a confident smirk.  
Maria rolled her eyes and drained the last of her drink, “I can't believe you went there. Does that ever work?”  
“What do you think, Hill?” Natasha slipped gracefully up on to the stool next to her and signalled to the barman.  
“I think that even for you there is a limit. That was over it.”  
“Even for me, hey?” Natasha flashed her a grin, then passed over a whisky, “За здоровье”  
Knowing it was pointless to even attempt to hide the light flush on her cheeks, Maria opted to pretend the last 30 seconds had not happened. Natasha clearly had different ideas, leaning in and hooking one of her feet through the rungs of Maria's stool.  
“Back in New York in December? Could have planned that one better.”  
Natasha shrugged easily, “The cold doesn't bother me much. And the crowds make being invisible simple.”  
“Fair enough.” There was a distant look in the assassin's eyes that suggested that there was more to it that this, but Maria didn't push. “Got plans?”  
“Drink, defrost… other than that, not really.”   
“Sounds like a good starting point.” Maria held up her glass, and Natasha clinked her own against it gently, almost formally, and they shared a smile, “To defrosting.”  
“And sweet, sweet asses.”  
“Still not working, Romanoff.”


	12. trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a gif of a CA:CW deleted scene with Nat and Steve in the church. Short and feels-ridden, sorry!

"Here?" Maria asked, glancing at the woman beside her.

"Here." Natasha stepped forwards, the uncharacteristic heaviness of her posture matching the finality in her voice.

Maria gave a little twitch, trying to settle her shoulders, and hunched deeper into her coat. God it was cold. Cold and poor and bleak, only the most tenacious of weeds managing to grow with any vigour. Despite the discomfort she made no noise of complaint, her attention fully focussed on the redhead in front of her. She hadn't expected to come on this trip, in fact she was quite surprised that even Natasha was here at all. The least she could do therefore, was support her.

She watched as Natasha knelt down between the two little gravestones, lightly brushing her fingertips over the tops. She was still for a long time, before giving herself a little shake, removing some of the more adventurous weeds and gently laying down the flowers she had brought. She then rose fluidly, making her way to Maria without looking back.

"Okay?" Maria asked, a little hesitantly. Of course she wasn't okay, but what else was there to say? I'm sorry?

Natasha nodded, thrusting her hands deep into her pockets. She stood for a moment, as if rooted to the spot. Seeing the shadows in her eyes Maria stepped forwards and wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, holding her close.

"You will be," she murmured as Natasha leant into her embrace, tucking her face into Maria's shoulder with a shuddering sigh, "You will be."


End file.
